Rulers of Frost
by Here Comes Yoshi
Summary: After her parents' untimely death, Elsa is visited by a strange man named Loki, who she soon learns has a dark secret. Years later, when she is crowned Queen of Arendelle, Loki shows up again and begins to help her control her powers during her 'exile' in the mountains. Elsa x Loki later on because I'm weird. (Sequel now up!)
1. Prologue

"_...Do you wanna build a snowman?__"_

Anna's words hit Elsa harder that any cold ever could. Surrounded by her ice, she leaned forward from the door, brought her knees up to her head and began to cry. Why did her parents have to leave? Their love was the only thing that could help her control her powers. She missed her mother and father's voice dearly; Elsa could still hear her father's last word to her:

_You'll be fine, Elsa._

But she wasn't fine. In fact, she was getting worse by the minute. The storm inside of her was raging fiercer than it had ever before. More ice came from Elsa's toes and spread across her room like a sickness, and every tear that fell made a tiny snowflake on the floor. There was no one that could truly understand the way she felt; not even the few servants who knew of her condition could ever help her the way her parents did.

Through the door, she heard Anna get up from her place and say, "Elsa, I understand if you want to be alone. I'll be going now." Her footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.

In truth, Elsa didn't want to be alone. All she wanted to do was be with Anna and be happy. But she couldn't. Not like they used to be, before the incident...

Elsa hugged her knees tighter. Her eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to block out the tears, but they continued to flow. She didn't notice the light coming from the corner of her room.

"...Well well, what have we here?"

Her head shot up to see a strange man standing next to her bed. He wore gold, green and black clothing, fashioned almost like armor, and a green cape flowing behind him. Snowflakes clung to his jet-black hair, and his emerald green eyes sparked with a maniac light. "Here I was, on my way to Jotunheim, but it seems I've stumbled across another land of eternal winter." He cast a glace to the window. "Oh, but what's this? It's just this room that's cold; the rest of this world is in summer... You wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?" The stranger's gaze once again rested on Elsa.

"Wh-who are you?" The princess stood up.

"I am Loki, of Asgard." He addressed himself. "And who are you, who commands winter itself?"

"I... am Elsa, of Arendelle." She replied, trying to hold his gaze. "How did you find me here?"

"Arendelle... I have heard of no such realm before." Loki smirked. "But, to answer your question... let's just say that you aren't the only one who can use magic in this room."

Elsa saw that her hand, that was braced against the wall, had begun a trail of frost that was steadily growing. _Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show... S_he kept repeating to herself. "Please... leave me be... I don't want anyone to get hurt..." Snowflakes started to swirl faster than they had before.

Loki took a step closer. "Then why do you let the winter rage on?"

"I've tried to stop it... I can't break the curse..." The line of frost covered most of the wall.

"Why? Why can you not? It's your power, it should obey you, not the other way around." He was only a few steps away.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW!" A blast of icy wind escaped Elsa's hands, shooting straight at Loki. Fear overtook her; that was cold enough to freeze someone, let alone kill them! As the snow settled, she saw that he was still standing, albeit changed.

His skin was no longer fair, it was now a deep blue hue. His green eyes were now piercing red, and there were gashes cut deep across his face, almost in an intricate pattern. Loki was now staring straight at Elsa with a gaze filled with hate and... was that sorrow? "See what I am, girl? This is a true curse: The curse of my forefathers, my entire race." Slowly, but surely, his skin faded back to its original hue, his eyes to their original color, and the gashes began to disappear.

Elsa stared in horror as Loki approached her and grabbed her wrist. "The only reason I am letting you live is because you are of no importance to me at the moment. But know this: Someday, when Asgard is wholly under my command, never to be taken from me again, I shall return with an army." He let go of her wrist and walked back to the corner of Elsa's room. With a quick flash of light, he was gone.

* * *

**A/N: Hello all! Brief prologue to a story that I'll be writing (duh) over the course of whenever I can upload new chapters. Please leave a review if you have anything to say; they are like verbal candy... Mmm, candy...  
**

**~Yoshi**


	2. Coronation Day

"Your Majesty, the gloves."

Elsa stopped mid-reach and paused for a few brief moments. Today was the day she had secretly been dreading all her life: her coronation. Crown already on her head, all she had to do was take the scepter and globus cruciger and stand there, facing the crowd, as the bishop said a few words over her. The thing that she dreaded was that she had to take them in hand without her gloves, meaning she could reveal her powers at any moment in front of the entire kingdom.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa slowly slipped her gloves off and took the scepter in one hand and the globus cruciger in the other, and turned towards the crowd as the bishop began saying the words over her. Taking a frantic glance at her hands, she saw that frost had already began to form where her hands grasped the objects. She looked back up at the crowd, who were mostly seated, except for one in the back.

The man standing was the same one Elsa saw in her room the day of her parents' funeral, Loki. He looked almost exactly the same, save his clothing; although still green and gold, his attire now matched the other noblemen's style of dress. His gaze held less maniac thoughts, though there were still some hidden in their depths. Loki was smirking at the new queen, almost in a mocking way.

Queen Elsa heard the bishop finish his words over her. She hurriedly placed what she was holding down and grabbed her gloves, slipping them back on as the crowd applauded. _The worst is over, now,_ Elsa thought. _It's over._

* * *

The following evening was the ball in honor of Arendelle's new queen. Said queen and her sister were standing awkwardly at the thrones; it was the first time they had seen each other in years and years. Loki stood off to a side, taking in his surroundings. His outfit had been last-minute, but due to his magic, he was able to conjure one and blend in with his surroundings.

He watched the royal sisters, thinking about how mysterious their realm was. _It shouldn't even exist. How is it that it has evaded Heimdall's gaze for centuries now? _Loki pondered. _And their queen... how is it that she came to hold power over winter?_

He now saw that they were being approached by an old man who addressed himself as the Duke of Westleton and obviously had a bad hairpiece. As the duke bowed low, Loki turned his hand ever so slightly, causing his hairpiece to fall forward. Elsa and Anna began to giggle uncontrollably, and the duke remained ignorant. The Asgardian smirked as he stood back up and asked the queen to dance.

"I'm sorry, but..." Elsa once again saw Loki standing off to the side, smirking at the duke. It was finally time to ask him the question that had been preying on her mind since she saw him that morning. "...but I've already promised my first dance to someone else." She walked past him and went straight to Loki. "I think you owe me an explanation as to why you're here."

"And I think you owe me a dance." He bowed and gestured to the dance-floor. "Shall we?"

Elsa grabbed Loki's hand and they moved to the floor. Her inexperience with dancing was made up for with his grace and fluid movements, and she eventually got the hang of dancing. "So you want an explanation, then?" He asked the queen.

"Last time we met, you said you would come back with an army." She glared defensively. "Where are they?"

Loki sighed. "I'm afraid that's... complicated. Mortals are much more unruly than I had originally hoped, so the throne is still in depute."

"Why?" Elsa was genuinely curious, brushing off the fact he just referred to people as 'mortals'. "Do the other potential heirs want the throne, too?"

He laughed a bit. "No, the other potential heir doesn't want it at all. It would go to me, except I committed treason. Twice, actually."

"What?! Then how are you still alive?" She asked.

Loki's smile faded. "Mother intervened for me... but she's gone now."

Elsa frowned. "I'm sorry." They continued dancing in silence until another question popped into her head.

"Last time I saw you... I hit you with an icy wind that was cold enough to kill a person. But you didn't die. You... changed into something that looked like something from a myth. And that leads me to my final question:" She looked Loki straight in the eye. "_What are you?_"

Loki opened his mouth to answer, but they were interrupted by Anna and someone else. "I'll leave you to it, then." He let go of Elsa's hand and walked off towards the door. Thanks to their little dance, he was able to begin to figure out where Elsa's magic came from. It wasn't from any mortal realm, that was for certain, for so few mortals are capable of magic. But, there was still a question of how it came to her, and Loki knew just how to find out.

Making sure no one was looking, Loki summoned a book that Frigga gave him when he was young. It explained how magic from one realm can sometimes flow in small peices through the universe and seep into other realms. It may take thousands of years for the magic to cross the universe, however, so much of it is still suspended in space. Also, magic can only be released through severe amounts of bloodshed and, as much bloodshed has ceased, not much magic is able to escape its realm when it happens.

Deep in thought, Loki shut the book and sent it back to where it came from. That had to be how Elsa came to posses her powers. The only realm where he knew such magic and bloodshed existed at the same time was...

"The party is over. Close the gates." Elsa broke the Asgardian's train of thought with her command.

"What? No, no Elsa wait!" Anna reached forward and grabbed her sister's hand, pulling off her glove in the process.

The queen hid her exposed hand behind her back. "Give me back my glove!"

"Elsa, please, _please!_ I can't live like this anymore!" The princess looked like she was close to tears.

"...Then leave." Came Elsa's reply. She turned and began walking away.

"What did I ever do to you?" Anna yelled.

"Enough, Anna..."

"No, why?!" She continued. "Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the _world_ out? What are you so _afraid _of?!"

"I said ENOUGH!" Elsa lashed out her exposed hand and spikes of ice raised from the floor at the party-goers, who all took a step back in fear. She braced herself against the door, Loki being the only person on her side of the wall of ice.

People began to shout accusations at her. She barely heard; Loki was now whispering in her ear. "Run. It's the only thing you can do now. Run. I can hold them off long enough for you to escape."

"Elsa..." Anna whispered as her sister reached for the doorknob and ran out the door.


	3. Flight to the Mountains

Elsa ran through the halls to the castle doors. She heard faint footsteps behind her, but she dared not to turn around and see who it was. Her secret was now out; Anna knew she lied to her, everyone in that room could accuse their queen of trying to kill them...

Such thoughts followed her until she reached the doors, were she faced an even bigger problem: the crowds gathered outside the castle had begun to swarm Elsa, and she could feel her nervousness contributing to the storm inside. She tried walking forward, but the throngs of people slowed her down. She was only about halfway to the fountain at the middle of the courtyard when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Get back! Make way for the Queen of Arendelle!" Elsa turned to see a guard ushering the crowds away. For a split second, the guard turned to her, smirked and winked, his emerald green eyes shining in an unfamiliar face. Once the crowd had dispersed enough, he grabbed her hand (the gloved one) and they began to walk forward. "I barricaded the doors of the ballroom from the outside," He whispered to her. "though that won't hold them back for long."

"Loki?" The queen asked. "How- how did you do that?" She gestured to his appearance.

Loki turned and smiled. "Remember what I said all those years ago? You aren't the only one who can use magic."

They had reached the fountain by then. In her haste, Elsa tripped over her dress, stumbled forward and touched the edge of the fountain with her un-gloved hand. A trail of frost spread across the tile and froze the water solid. The crowd were now no less than twenty feet from Elsa and Loki, practically pressing them against the walls to get away from the strange power their queen put forth.

The crowd from the ballroom, which included the Duke of Wesleton, Anna, and her beloved, Hans, now stood at the doorway to the castle, the duke now once again throwing accusations at her of being a 'sorceress' and 'evil'.

Elsa backed away from their accusations, un-gloved hand held protectively to her chest. "Elsa," Loki said. "Run. There's nothing they won't do to you now, so go."

"Where?" She asked in a scared whisper.

"Anywhere; the mountains, the forest, anywhere but here is safe for you now. Just go. _Go!"_ He shouted the last word, and the queen took off running towards the unknown.

Elsa approached the fjord which separated her and freedom. Cautiously, she placed a foot down on the water, which froze solid. Bracing herself, she ran across the waters and towards the mountains. Slowly, the ice began to spread across the ocean and trap all the ships docked at the port. The land became bitterly cold, and snow began to fall slowly to the ground.

* * *

At the edge of the lake, far away from all the chaos, the Asgardian stared out across the frozen water as Anna and the others approached him. "You-you helped do this!" The duke yelled out. "This is- you were conspiring with that sorceress! You should be put in the dungeons and hung for treason!"

"Is it an act of treason," Loki asked calmly. "If the country in question is not even yours?"

"What?" Anna took a step forward. "What do you mean?"

"In truth, I am not from this country." He explained. "I learned of Elsa's power some time ago, and came back to see what exactly they were. In turn, I just saved all of your lives."

"How did that save anyone but Elsa?" Anna asked. "All it did was thrust the land into eternal winter! _It's snowing in the summer! _It-"

"The magic she possesses is strong, much stronger than you could ever imagine, girl." He stated firmly. "Any attempts to kill her would unleash the magic within and kill everyone within and around the castle."

"K-kill her?" The duke laughed. "Who said anything about-"

Loki turned to face him. "You did, though not out verbally. You mortals in your position tend to think the answer to treating a festering wound on the hand is to cut the arm off; you thought that the answer to stop the ice would be to kill Elsa." The duke paled at his words and backed away. "Your best option at the moment would be to leave her alone."

"No!" Anna shouted. "I'm her sister, and I am to blame for making her angry. I can fix this! She won't harm me, and there's nothing a phony guard can do to stop me."

"I would not recommend that, Princess Anna." He said calmly. "What is best is-."

"Who do you think you are, ordering her around like that?" Hans stepped forward.

Loki's disguise began to fade away in a stream of green light, which traveled from the left side of his body to the right, revealing his normal attire underneath. Everyone took a step back as he said, "I am Loki, rightful king of Asgard. Do not forget that in a hurry."

"Hey..." Anna said, "You're the guy Elsa danced with... Were you plotting this all along?"

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to something as drastic as this." Loki sighed and mumbled to himself, "The ruler of a mighty nation forced into exile... brings back memories."

"What did you... You know what? Never mind." Anna stated, "I'm still going to find her, no matter what you say." She turned to a servant close-by. "Fetch my horse!" She then turned to Hans. "I'm leaving you in charge. Keep my people warm and safe for me, please." Hans nodded as the servant approached, now holding the reins of Anna's horse.

"That _really_ isn't smart. You have no idea what you're dealing with." He told her as she mounted her horse.

Anna shot Loki a glare. "Elsa's my _sister_. And, like I said before, as Princess of Arendelle, I have a responsibility to bring her back to fix this for our country." She gripped the reins tightly and rode off.

"Now," Hans turned to Loki. "As for you..."

The Asgardian held up his hands in surrender. "I'll go peacefully, so long as you can catch me."

The prince reached out to grab his wrist, but his hand passed right through his arm. He tried again, only to be met with the same result. "How...?"

Loki smirked. "All this time, you've been talking to a hologram. The real me is... about halfway to the mountain. Catch me if you can." The hologram disappeared with a flash of green light.


	4. Icy Truth

Loki stood outside a marvelous castle in the mountains made entirely out of ice. Walking up the splendid ice staircase, he made his way to the front doors, which had a snowflake carved intricately across them. After knocking thrice, the door opened to the Asgardian and he walked inside. The air was a bit chilly, but he didn't mind it. He stood in a grand foyer with a spiral staircase at the other end of the room. After doing a full 360 to see all of the room, he had to admit that he was impressed with Elsa's power. But, if not controlled, it could still harm her and her loved ones.

Footsteps came from the top of the staircase. Elsa appeared at the top of the stairs, her hair now down in a casual braid interwoven with snowflakes. She was wearing a crystal-blue off-the-shoulder dress with a transparent cape decorated with snowflakes. She seemed happier now that she was free, as evident from the smile on her face. She walked down the steps towards Loki, who was also smiling.

"I'm glad to see that you're safe, Elsa." He greeted.

"Thank you, Loki," She said. "Thank you for helping me back there."

"I had to. It only seemed right." Loki then cleared his throat. "But there are more important matters to deal with. While you were able to successfully construct a castle, that doesn't mean you are in total control of your powers."

"What do you mean?" The Snow Queen asked.

"Magic takes a long time to fully control. It took me weeks before I could cast my first successful spell. The magic within you... it reflects your emotions. This magic in this form can only be controlled with one or two certain emotions, one of which is hard even for me to pinpoint, and the other you certainly won't like." He explained.

"'In this form'? What are you talking about?" Elsa asked.

Loki walked past her and up the stairs. "Come, I'll show you." She followed him up to the second floor.

Stopping at the doorway of the second floor room, Elsa said, "You never answered my question."

"Which one was that?" He turned around.

"What are you?" She looked him with curiosity in her eyes.

"...I'll get to that. Now," He turned toward the center of the room. With a wave of his hand, a hologram appeared, forming what looked like a tree of stars and galaxies. "This is the world tree, Yggdrasil. There are nine main realms: Muspelheim, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nifleheim, Svartalfheim, Helheim, Jotunheim, Midgard, and Asgard, my home."

He waved his hand again, the hologram now focusing on one planet. "Your realm is a sister realm to Midgard, realm of humans. It has existed on the edge of Yggdrasil for an age now, but it recently moved closer to the other nine realms, allowing easy passage between them."

"Now for a history lesson." He waved his hands a few times and a new image appeared. It looked like a land of ice and snow. "This is Jotinheim, realm of the Frost Giants. Thousands of years ago, the Frost Giants attempted to freeze all of Midgard in eternal winter." There were now thousands of dark-colored figures running across the icy landscape, clashing with thousands of light-colored figures. "The Asgardians stepped in and subdued the Frost Giants, taking their power and crushing their armies. Are you getting all of this?" Loki turned to Elsa, who nodded nervously.

Turning back to the hologram, he made it focus on a tiny piece of shining ice. "This is part of the Frost Giant's magic, made from their blood. It took this form when an entire legion of them fell in battle. Due to the amounts of bloodshed here, this magic was able to slip out of the world and into deep space." The piece of ice floated past several stars and galaxies. "For centuries it remained in space, swirling about miserably, seeking a host. Until about twenty-one years ago, when it finally found a realm: Your realm." Elsa's eyes filled with fear.

"The magic searched and searched for a host, wanting not just an ordinary person. It wanted power, glory, everything. Since it knew it would be easier to take residence in a young person, the magic searched for and eventually found a newborn princess to take residence in." Loki paused.

"...Me." The Snow Queen whispered. "The magic found me. That's why they said I was born with it..."

The Asgardian nodded grimly. "Yes, I'm afraid so. The magic protected itself and somehow figured out a way to hide itself and this entire realm from the Asgardians, allowing it to grow in strength and integrate itself into your being. Its powers eventually started to show, which weakened the barrier slightly, allowing me to find you. While I'm sure everyone in your castle gave you all the love and attention they could, the magic's needs would not be quenched. It doesn't want to be hidden in a castle somewhere, it wants to be shown to the masses, it wants power, and if these needs are not met..." He paused again, a sad look on his face.

Elsa put a hand to her mouth. "How... how do you know this? How do you know what it wants?"

"...That's where your question comes into play. Don't be afraid." Loki took a deep breath and took Elsa's hand in his. Due to her fear and sorrow with the 'history lesson', her powers had begun to show and started freezing his hand, turning his skin a dark blue hue. This sensation trailed up his arm to his face, which began to form what looked like gashes, and his eyes turned piercing red. With the Snow Queen's hand still in his, he turned to the hologram and waved his hand. It then showed a fearsome, man-like beast with deep blue skin, gashes across its face and arms, and red eyes blazing with hate and rage.

"This is a Frost Giant." Loki gave Elsa a sad smile and released her hand. "Look familiar?"

"Oh my goodness..." She whispered as his complexion faded back to its original state.

He continued to smile sadly, saying "Yes, it's true. Though I wish with all my heart it would just be a lie, it's not." He turned back towards the hologram and it disappeared._  
_

"So, was that it? Did you just want to show me that for the sake of showing me it?" Elsa asked.

"No, Elsa," Loki smiled slightly. "I plan to train you to help you control your powers. With luck, I'll be able to find out what emotion will be able to satisfy the magic's needs, and in turn keep everyone safe. I just showed you that to show you what we'll be up against, and because I think you deserve the truth about your powers."

She nodded. "Alright, but I have one more question: Didn't you say there are two emotions that will allow me to control my power? You don't know one, just the other, which I'd like to know."

"I did, but like I said earlier, you won't like it." He cast a look to Elsa that looked not dissimilar to sorrow and regret.

"Well... I think I deserve the truth about this." She smirked.

Loki sighed. "Alright, then: It's fear. That's the other emotion, the one I've been relying on to keep my power in check. The fear of the thousands of souls I've terrorized is the one thing that keeps my magic at my command, and yet..." He looked her straight in the eye. "I hate it. The eternal wanting feeling that keeps gnawing at my insides... I'm never satisfied with what I have. Satisfaction is not in my nature as of now, and if something can change that, then by God I'd love to see it happen."

"Then I'll help." Elsa stated. "You'll train me to at least control my powers, then from there we'll see if we can figure this thing out. I really, _really_ don't want to have to resort to fear."

He smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you for your help."

She smiled back. "When do we start?"

* * *

**A/N: A very special thank you for everyone who has read this story thus far! I honestly didn't think that I ****would get**** this many reads on a story. Just seeing how many people have read this has really boosted my happiness (a happy Yoshi is a productive Yoshi) and I try my hardest to make each chapter as good as or even better than the last!  
**

**That aside, please leave a review if you have anything to say! :D**

**~Yoshi**


	5. Come and Go

**A/N: Hello all! Just a quick note on this next scene: I haven't seen the movie in a while (Can't wait for the DVD release in a few days! :D) so the scene won't be exact. But, hey, I guess that's why it's a fanfic. :)**

**~Yoshi**

* * *

"Okay, now try and _really_ focus on this next one." Loki reset the target-shaped hologram on the wall.

Elsa nodded and pressed her palms together, a blue light streaming from her fingertips. She slowly pulled her hands apart, making a tiny, swirling snowball. Spinning her hands around each other, the snowball grew to the size of her fist, and she launched it full-speed at the target. The snowball passed through, but left a snowy mark on the target; it was almost entirely on the bull's eye.

"Good job," Loki smiled. "Your aim and form are improving greatly."

Elsa blushed slightly. "Thank you, Loki. I'm feeling a lot more confident about this."

There was a knock downstairs on the front door. The doors opened. "Who could that be?" Elsa muttered as she approached the door. She gasped when she saw who it was. "Anna?"

"Elsa!" Anna shouted from the main foyer. The Snow Queen walked down the stairs to greet her sister.

Loki sighed and waved his hand, making the target disappear. He didn't expect Anna to have come this far, especially since she left alone and in no condition to face the bitter cold outside. Still, he might as well congratulate her for making it thus far. Stepping through the doorway, he noticed that A) Anna was now wearing clothes that were actually fit for winter, and B) Elsa's expression was a mix between joy and sorrow; she was still afraid of hurting her sister. Loki walked down the steps to them, who were completely oblivious of his presence. He walked over to the door where a shout came from outside.

"Fifty-eight, fifty-NINE, SIXTY!" The doors were flung open, almost hitting Loki, and a little snowman ambled in. He turned and saw the Asgardian, smiled and said, "Hi there! My name is Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" Olaf flung out his stick arms and hugged Loki's leg. "Wow, your leg is _really_ warm! It's almost feels like you're blushing! Of course, I don't know what blushing feels like; heck, I don't even know what blushing is, but-"

"What?! How are you talking," Loki looked down at Olaf. "Let alone _moving?_"

Olaf let go of his leg with one arm and pointed a twiggy finger at Elsa. "Elsa made me!" He turned towards the Snow Queen. "Remember?"

"...Olaf?" Elsa looked down at her hands with an amazed look on her face. "I... You're alive!"

The snowman nodded. "Yep, I'm alive! Or I think I'm alive, anyway. Am I alive?" He looked back up at Loki.

"Yes, you're alive," Loki managed to pry himself from the snowy grip. "And you've brought someone else." He turned towards the door where a man covered in snow was approaching.

"Did I miss something important here?" He asked, seeing Olaf trying to reattach himself onto Loki.

"Elsa," Anna said. "Kristoff helped me get here, so I can bring you home."

"Home?" Elsa backed up towards the staircase. "I-I... No, I can't go back yet."

The princess' eyes filled with disbelief. "What? Why not?"

"I'm not... ready yet. I'll come back when I am." Elsa started up the stairs.

"What if you never are? What if you just stay up here forever and leave Arrendelle in-"

"Anna, please." The Snow Queen cast her sister a glance full of sorrow. "Just leave me be."

"Elsa, please don't shut me out again!" Anna followed her up the stairs and her voice became unrecognizable as it echoed off the ice.

Loki stared after them as Olaf tried to climb the stairs. He grabbed the snowman, saying, "It would be best if you left them alone for the time being."

Olaf looked at the Asgardian and said "Okay. Hey, what's a 'blushing'?"

"What?" He asked.

"Y'know," The snowman said. "I said earlier that you're really warm, like you were blushing, but then I said that I don't know what blushing was, so what is it?"

"Um... blushing is-" Loki stopped. "Am I seriously explaining this to a snowman?"

"Well... uh," Olaf thought for a moment, looking up. "Hey, where's that snow coming from?"

Loki looked up and saw snowflakes swirling about like they were in a blizzard. "Elsa." He dropped Olaf and ran up the stairs, unaware that Kristoff was only a few steps behind. "ELSA, NO!" He shouted over the howling wind, seeing the snow swirl around her and Anna. The storm swirled in a tighter circle around Elsa, seeming to disappear within her, then...

"I CAN'T!" She shouted, pure magic shooting around the room. Loki tried to cast a shield to protect Anna, but the sheer force of the ice magic shattered his shield and hit both him and Anna. Loki was thrown against the wall, showing his Frost Giant form due to the magic. Anna fell to her knees; the magic had struck her dead on.

"ANNA!" Kristoff came running into the room and stopped right next to the princess. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I... I'm fine." Anna stood up. "Elsa, please, we can still fix this."

"Don't... antagonize her..." Loki called weakly from his place by the wall. "Just... go..."

"Look, sir, I-" She turned and gasped when she saw him. "What did you do to him?!"

Elsa backed up warily. "I didn't- you- just leave, NOW!" She formed an ice and snow giant with her powers. Said giant chased Anna and Kristoff out of the room, and eventually out of the castle.

Loki stood up, his skin fading back to its original state. "Why did you... let that happen?"

"I didn't mean to! Anna- she- she told me Arendelle was trapped in eternal winter!" Elsa looked close to tears. "I- I did this! I sent my people into this! I-"

"Elsa." He calmly grabbed her shoulders. "Calm down. I promised I'd help you, and I will."

"I know, but-"

"Calm. Down." He placed a finger on her lips. "We'll get through this, alright? We'll find a way to unfreeze your home, don't worry."

She nodded. "I... I think I just need a few moments alone, if that's alright."

"Take all the time you need. We'll start as soon as you're ready" Loki left the room and shut the door on his way out.

Elsa couldn't explain it, she couldn't even _begin _to explain it, but she felt safe around him. She felt in control of her powers around him, almost in the same way her father had. The same man who threatened to come back with an army all those years ago made her feel like she could trust him. She then realized that she liked him, possibly more than just a friend.

And, on the other side of the door, Loki was beginning to feel the same way.


	6. Intrusion

**A/N: Hello again! Another seemingly pointless author's note to point out that this chapter won't be exact, since it's been at least a few months since I've seen the movie.  
Also, thanks to all who are following/favoriting/reviewing this**.** We've only two or three chapters after this, so hang tight: this is gonna be a bumpy ride!  
**

**~Yoshi**

* * *

Half an hour or so after Anna and the others left, Elsa emerged from the second floor room. "Loki, I'm ready." She said to the man sitting on the steps.

Loki stood up and was about to walk towards her when a great tremor shook the castle. He fell forward, almost sliding down the icy steps. Standing, he said, "I'm sorry, but it seems like that will have to wait. Stay here." He began to go down the stairs.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Someone's storming the castle! I'll try to hold them off as long as I can!" He called over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs. He stood in front of the ice doors (which he had barricaded for extra safety) and summoned a spear in his hands, which was not dissimilar to (in design) the one he used in New York. Weapon held tightly in hand, Loki was ready for the intruders as they broke through the door.

At the head of the group was Hans, who, upon seeing the Asgardian, said, "Looks like we caught you, Loki. Are you going to come peacefully like you said?"

"Oh, no," Loki smirked. "I'm far from caught."

"Well, then, it looks like I have no choice." He turned to a the men behind him, saying, "Capture him and find Queen Elsa! No harm shall come to her!"

Two of the guards hardly missed a beat and charged for Loki. The first swung a sword in his direction, but he dodged with ease. He spun behind the first guard and whacked him with the end of his spear to knock him out. The second managed to cut his face with his sword, but the cut was shallow enough not to bleed. Hitting the back of his knee, Loki managed to get the other man on the ground and knock him out too.

"That all you got?" Loki taunted.

All the men rushed towards him; excluding Hans; a few guards; and two men not wearing guards' uniforms, who made a break for the stairs. Noticing this, Loki tried to go after them, but was pulled back into the fray by the remaining four guards. These guards had the same fighting style a the first two, so they were easy to beat. Dodging several attacks, Loki managed to knock three men out in succession with one swing of his spear. The last guard made the cut on his face a bit larger, causing it to bleed slightly, but he was eventually knocked out like the rest of his comrades. When it was over, Loki followed Hans and the others up the stairs, shouting his friend's name all the while.

* * *

Elsa herself was occupied with the men attacking her. She was about to push one off the balcony with a fast-moving iceberg, and the other one was pinned up against the wall with icicles, one aiming for his throat. She hated doing this, but it was all in self-defense.

Hans raced up the steps, stopping short when he saw what she was doing. "Queen Elsa!" He said. "Don't be the monster they think you are."

The Snow Queen stopped casting her magic and turned to the prince. She heard her name being called by Loki from the staircase and was about to move towards him when Hans jumped to the man being pinned down by icicles. Following his actions with her eyes, she saw that the arrow in the man's crossbow had been fired, but the bow was aiming up.

A crack sounded above her; the arrow hit the ice chandelier on the ceiling, and it was now cascading down towards her. She ran away from the falling shards that threatened to crush her, but she fell and slammed into the wall.

The last thing she remembered before falling into unconsciousness was a painful ringing in her ears, someone screaming her name and bright green eyes looking into hers.

* * *

Running as fast as he could, Loki approached the room where Elsa was running from the chandelier that fell from the ceiling. It was hit by an arrow a few moments earlier, causing it to fall right towards Elsa. She ran as fast as she could to avoid it, but, as the last of the ice fell down, she tripped and hit the wall, sending a loud _crack_ echoing through the room. She didn't move.

"ELSA!" Loki ran to her side and knelt by her unmoving form. He rested her head in his lap as Elsa's eyes fluttered half an inch open and shut again. He started to try and wake her up. "No, no, please, please don't do this." He noticed that she was still breathing, but she would not open her eyes. "Wake up, wake up, wake up... I need you to wake up." He plead, a tear trailing down his face and stinging his cut.

The Asgardian looked up to the sight of Hans holding his discarded scepter. "Well, looks like I caught you." With a swift blow to the head, Loki fell next to his friend. "I'm sorry..." He whispered and joined her in unmoving silence.


	7. Escape to Summer

Elsa woke up in a dark cell, her hands bound together in a steel encasing, which was chained to the wall. The door opened and Hans walked in with a lantern. "Queen Elsa," He greeted.

"Where am I? H-how did I get here?" She asked. "Where's Loki?"

"Loki's in the cell next door." He gestured to the wall to the right. "I had to separate you two, or else there would have been a riot led by the Duke of Westleton, and that would only make matters worse."

Elsa stood up. "Why couldn't you just leave me be?" She started to walk towards Hans, mentally prepared for when the chain would be yanking at her arms. However, when she got to the end of the chain, it extended out of the wall a bit more and she felt like she was dragging something heavy. "What's on the other side...?"

"Well," Hans began, "That chain also connects to Loki's shackles. These were the only cells fit for any use at the moment." He paused. "I'm doing my best to get you out of here, Queen Elsa. I've just got to do a few more things before anyone will let you out." He turned towards the door.

"And Loki? What'll you do about him?" She asked.

"Him... I'm not so sure about." Hans left without another word.

Elsa sat down on the wooden bench in silence for a few minutes. The steel encasing around her hands began to frost over after a while, causing her to go into slight panic.

"We could use a bit of that."

The Snow Queen whipped her head up to see Loki standing in her cell. "How did you get out?" She asked.

"Well, technically I'm still in my cell. This is an illusion." Loki stated. "But I'm in a bit of a fix over there. The chain is around both my ankles, preventing me from moving, and my hands are in an encasement not dissimilar to yours, preventing me from casting more complex spells. The most I could do at the moment was project a hologram, but even then it won't last long."

"Is there anyway I can help?" Elsa asked.

"I need you to freeze the steel around your hands, then the chain that runs through the wall, so I can at least walk. The wall isn't strong around the hole; I could probably kick it down. You then freeze my encasement, I'll break it off, break the wall down, and we're gone." He said.

Elsa nodded. "I'll try." She cast a wary glance out the small window. "The storm's getting worse."

Loki nodded. "The storm will probably follow us when we leave, so we'd best get going as soon as possible." The hologram began to fade. "See you later." He then disappeared, leaving Elsa alone.

"Alright then..." She focused all her energy into freezing the steel around her hands. The process was slow, however, so it took a while before the steel became brittle and she could break it. Focusing her attention to the chain, Elsa led a trail of frost through the wall into Loki's cell. After a while, she heard the *_chink*_ of metal being broken.

A whisper came through the small hole. "Stand back." She scrambled out of the way as Loki's foot was driven through the wall. After a few more kicks, he was able to step through. While happy to see him, Elsa gasped when she saw the cut on his face.

"Is that blood?" She asked nervously.

"It's nothing, really." He held out his hands. "Could you please?"

Elsa couldn't help but smile back as she froze his encasement, allowing him to snap it in half, freeing his hands. As soon as he was freed, Loki walked over to the outer wall. After placing a hand on the wall, faint green lights streamed through his fingertips, going through the grout between the bricks. The light faded, and Loki pushed the wall slightly, pushing the bricks out and allowing them safe passage onto the frozen fjord.

The wind whipped around Elsa and Loki as they walked. The Snow Queen looked up towards the Asgardian and yelled over the wind, "_What do we do when we reach the mountains?!_"

"_We have to find somewhere they won't look!_" Loki shouted. "_It isn't-_" his words were cut off as something pulled him back into the blizzard.

"LOKI!" Elsa shouted louder, shielding her eyes against the wind to see where her friend went.

"KEEP GOING!" She heard a faint shout that she recognized as Loki's voice. "I'LL FIND YOU WHEN YOU REACH THE MOUNTAINS!" Elsa nodded and kept trudging through the storm.

"Be safe," She whispered to herself. "For me... Could you please?"

* * *

After shouting his command to Elsa, Loki turned and faced the man who pulled him back into the blizzard: Hans. Sword in hand, Hans took a swing towards Loki, who dodged, stepping backwards. "_Why are you doing this?!_" He shouted. "_Why can't you leave her be?!_"

"_She's the only one standing in my way to rule this country!_" Hans shouted back. "_I've waited years for a chance like this, and you're not getting in my way!_" He lunged towards the Asgardian.

Loki stepped out of the way of the blade and grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Do you really think that ruling a country that you have no right to will make you happy?" He hissed, now close enough to where he didn't have to yell. "Do you not think that the people shall rise up against you when they find out that you've killed their queen?"

Hans reached to his side and pulled out a long knife, driving it into Loki's stomach. "And how will they find that out, when everyone who knows is dead?" Pulling the knife back out, he stalked away as his victim fell to the ice, clutching his stomach in pain.

"...It takes a lot more than that to kill me." Loki stood when Hans was out of sight. The stab wound still hurt immensely, but it would have to wait. For now, he needed to follow him to Elsa, or else a worse fate would befall her. He walked much slower than he would have liked, but he eventually found Hans and Elsa, the former about to kill the latter.

Elsa was flat against the ice, expecting imminent death. Hans raised his sword and was about to lower it when...

"NO!" Someone jumped in front of Elsa, literally freezing in place. Hans's sword shattered, throwing him backwards. Elsa looked up and screamed.

"ANNA!" She stood and embraced her frozen sister. "No... I did this..." Time seemed to stop, leaving several snowflakes suspended in midair.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and Olaf came and stood next to Loki, looking at the two sisters with sorrow. "I didn't make it..." Kristoff whispered. "Anna needed an act of true love to melt her frozen heart, but..." He took off his hat in mourning.

Loki remembered Anna getting hit with pure ice magic back in Elsa's ice castle. Did that cause this? "Wait... look." He pointed at Anna's face, which began to thaw. Slowly but surely, her entire body broke from the ice, and she was back to normal again.

"Anna!" Elsa hugged her sister. "But... how? Why did you do this for me?"

Anna smiled. "I love you."

From next to Loki, Olaf gasped and said, "True love will melt a frozen heart! That's an act of true love!"

Something in Elsa's mind clicked. "That's it. Love. That's it!" She waved her hands, and the snow around them started to rise into the sky. The fjord started to melt, and a ship rose above their feet. The sun came out, and the ice that plagued the land burst in the sky in the shape of a giant snowflake, never to be seen again. Suddenly, people poured out of the buildings and started cheering- for Elsa!

Olaf began running about on the deck, slowly melting. "This is the happiest day of my life! ...And possibly my last!"

"Hang on there, little guy." With a few waves of her hand, Elsa reconstructed the near-puddle and placed a snow cloud over his head, preventing him from melting. He started dancing with glee at the idea of his 'own personal flurry'.

Pleased with her handiwork, Elsa turned to Loki and saw the wound in his stomach, which he was pressing his hand up against to prevent bleeding. "Here, let me fix that." She pulled his hand away and blasted pure magic onto his wound. Slowly but surely, the bleeding stopped, leaving a thin layer of ice on top of his skin to prevent it from opening. She looked up at him and smiled, stifling a giggle; his ears had gone a light shade of blue, and in her opinion, he looked ridiculous. "Looks like you won't have to rely on fear anymore."

He smiled back. "No, looks like I won't. Thank you."

Elsa gave into the urge to wrap her arms around Loki's neck and hug him. He was a bit surprised at first, but eventually hugged her back. She broke off for a split second to kiss him lightly on the cheek.

In the background, a comment made by Kristoff could be heard: "Hey, Olaf. Did you see how Loki's face went all red? _That's_ blushing."

"Ooohhh..." Came Olaf's reply. "I thought it was something else _entirely!_"

"What did you think it was?" Anna asked.

"You don't wanna know." Said the snowman.

A small groan came from the edge of the deck. Hans walked into view, rubbing his head in pain. "What- Anna? But you're dead!"

"Well, then, this shouldn't hurt a bit." Said princess punched him in the face, sending him overboard.

Everyone still on-board eventually joined in one big group hug, as initiated by Olaf. When it dispersed, the first thing Anna said was, "You know what this calls for? A great big party with lots of chocolate!"

* * *

**A/N: As you have most probably already guessed, we are nearing the end of this tale. I'll post one more chapter after this, then declare this story completed.  
BUT! I _am_ thinking of writing a sequel to this! Not sure what it will be about, though; I think I'll move Elsa and Loki's relationship onward with the next installment. Please review about whether or not I should go through with this idea.  
**

**Thank you all for your support!**

**~Yoshi**


	8. How Can I Forget You?

The party that night lasted for hours. It was full of singing, dancing, and tons of chocolate. Elsa used her now-controllable powers to make a skating rink in the courtyard and send snowflakes through the air to drift on the children's expectant faces. Loki contributed to the celebration by making the snowflakes change colors and take different shapes when they touched; some of them exploded into a mass of icy butterflies, and some looked like a bird soaring in the sky. Slowly, as the hours passed, the children fell asleep, and Olaf helped them get to their parents, who took them home. It came to a point where Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf and Loki were the only ones left.

After un-freezing the courtyard, Elsa found Loki sitting alone on a balcony, watching the sky. "It's been fun," He said when he heard her approach. "Being here, anyways. I've had loads of fun, and I'm sad to go."

"You're leaving?" Elsa asked, slightly disappointed.

"I'm afraid so. There are some... things to be attended to back on Asgard and the other realms, which I'm not looking forward too." Loki smiled sadly.

She bowed her head slightly. "Oh... So, will you be coming back, after all that is done?"

He turned towards her. "Of course I'm coming back, Elsa. It's no secret that you like me, so I don't want to disappoint you."

Elsa looked up and smiled. "I didn't think I'd be able to hide it from you; love is what you use now to keep your powers in check, right?"

"Most of them I'm able to control by myself, but yes, I need love if I'm to use any form of ice magic." Loki corrected. "Was I too vague when I was explaining this the first time?"

"A little, yea." She giggled. "...Loki, about what you said about liking- no, loving- you... do you love me, too?"

He smiled, wrapped one arm around her waist and placed a hand under her chin. "Yes; Elsa of Arendelle, I believe I love you." He raised her head and kissed her directly on the lips. She was a bit unsure at first, but eventually wrapped her arms around his neck. Then they just stood there, savoring each others love. Even those who did not need love to control their magic could feel it in the air just then. A pure, simple love of two frosty souls- Queen Elsa of Arendelle and Prince Loki of Asgard- who never wanted that moment to end.

But like all good things, it had to.

"Wooowww, Elsa, so _this_ is what you were doing out here." Anna appeared in the doorway, smirking. "Didn't think you had it in you, sis, but you just got yourself a boyfriend."

"Anna!" Elsa broke away, blushing furiously. "I- he- you- he was just-"

"Saying goodbye and promising I'd visit soon." Loki covered for the queen, smirking at the laughing princess. "I was just about to go, then you stepped in."

"Uh-huh, yea, sure." Anna held back another bout of laughter. "Well, better leave you to it, then." She winked and sauntered off.

Loki sighed. "I guess I'd better get going." He took Elsa's hand. "Come with me for a moment; there's something I want to you see." She followed him out the back of the castle and into a large field out behind it. "When I come back, look for what you're about to see. It's called the Bifrost; it's what the Asgardians use to travel from world to world." He paused and smiled. "Please wait for me, Elsa."

"Always." Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Goodbye, then, Loki."

"See you later..." Loki let go of Elsa's hand and walked out a few steps. Looking up, he said, "When you're ready, Heimdall." Suddenly, a huge stream of light came out of the sky and surrounded him, and when the light disappeared, Loki was gone.

Elsa stood there a few moments, staring up at the sky. "Don't forget me..." She whispered as she turned back to the castle. She didn't know why she said it, though; when she reached her bedroom to retire for the night, Elsa felt Loki's love burning stronger than ever. As she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard him say:

_"My dearest Elsa, how in all the nine realms can I forget you?"_

**~End~**

* * *

**A/N: So, that's it for Rulers of Frost! I hope you liked it!  
I will be writing a sequel soon. I have no idea what it's gonna be called, but It's gonna be under the same category, so keep an eye out for it! :D**

**A very final thank you to everyone who sent their support through the comments and favoriting and following; I know I thank you guys a lot, but I honestly mean every single word of it. :]  
**

**~Yoshi**


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